Prize amphora showing a chariot race
About this video
This short clip describes a prize vase showing a four-horse chariot racing at full gallop. It explains that charioteers were the only athletes who competed clothed, in a long white robe, sometimes with a belt to hold the reins, and that the oblong track's turning posts, with up to 40 chariots racing, were where crashes happened.
You'll be able to
- describe how charioteers were dressed and equipped, and why.
- explain why the turning posts were the most dangerous part of a chariot race.
Key words
- charioteer
- The driver of a horse-drawn chariot in a race.
- reins
- Straps used to steer and control horses.
- turning post
- The post at each end of the oblong track that chariots raced around.
Transcript
this is a wonderful rods it shows a chariot force child at full gallop and you can see the charioteer in his traditional long white robe in fact charities were the only sports people who actually competed clothed and they would end the race with this long white eunuch absolutely drenched with sweat and as you can see this man's hair is flying and he's just coming up to the finishing post so he's the winner sometimes the charioteers were shown with a broad belt around the torso to which the reins were attached and this was to help stop the charity from falling out of the chariot but it also helped him to control the reins especially when you had four horses the horse race chap just at the running
track was oblong with the turning post at either end you could have up to 40 chariots in a race and so you can imagine with all those chariots trying to get round the post as near to it as possible that was where there was the most likelihood of mishaps and crashes and disasters and that was what the crowd loved
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